Utopia
by Hawki
Summary: Prisoner Zero Oneshot: Arkadia was named after a land of peace of long forgotten mythology. Surely it would remain true to its namesake under the rule of the Imperium...


**Utopia**

"General."

"Admiral."

The formalities were just that – formalities. A way to play the game of command that service to the Imperium dictated, then set down to the business of actually defending said Imperium. So, with said formalities out of the way, General Vykar and Admiral Agylla walked over the bridge of the _Spire_ , past the fleet personnel that surrounded them. They could speak openly here, Vykar reflected. Half of the servicemen were Delta or Gamma class patsies, their minds wiped to ensure service to the Imperium. The other half were genuinely loyal, and wouldn't utter a word of what transpired here.

That, and they feared him. And he was quite fine with that.

"So," Agylla said. She looked at a two-dimensional map that was displayed above them – a rough approximation of the position of the _Spire_ , and the surrounding star systems. "Sector 110. You're quite far from home."

"So are you."

"Me?" Agylla looked at him. "I go where the Faculty tells me to go. You, on the other hand, get to go wherever you want."

"A privilege of rank."

"Indeed. Some question that privilege though." Vykar clenched a fist as Agylla continued. "I don't think I need to remind you about Prisoner Zero. About his ship."

"It isn't _his_ ship."

"As long as Zero commands the ship, it is his ship," Agylla said. "Same reason why as long as you command the _Spire_ , it remains yours." Agylla looked around the bridge before meeting his gaze. "I don't think I need to remind you that the Faculty aren't too pleased about your loss of the ship to Zero. Pre-Dark Times technology is a boon, let alone a functioning warship."

"You don't need to remind me."

"Or that the ship currently outclasses any deep space technology we have, on a ship to ship basis?"

Vykar scowled. "I know."

"And that it was stolen by a fourteen year old and-"

"I know!"

His voice echoed across the bridge. His eyes blazed, and the stars beyond the viewscreen glared back at him. Not Agylla though. She just stood there. Impassive. Unmoving. Like a dreadnought, and just as deadly. He didn't doubt that Agylla had the means to get the Faculty to at least consider removing him from command. The only question was, did she have the desire to? And how far would she be willing to go?

"So you know," the admiral said. "I know that you know." She smirked. "I'm glad we understand each other."

 _I understand you perfectly you leech._

"So with that said, I suggest we move onto the next order of business." Vykar watched as she adjusted the tactical display, going to a system on the far edge of the map. "Arkadia. Halcyon system. I understand you seeded beta-class bioweave a few weeks ago."

Vykar nodded. "Correct. When we arrive, the Arkadians will be ready to be loyal servants of the Imperium."

"Hmm." Agylla tapped Halcyon, bringing up a stream of data concerning Arkadia, ranging from its planetology to its history. "Pre-Dark Times, early human settlement…probably don't even know the Imperium exists."

"It doesn't. Our sleeper agents confirmed it." Vykar stood beside Agylla. "The Arkadians know that they didn't originate on their planet. Apart from that, they know nothing."

"They'll know a lot less with bioweave technology."

Vykar frowned. "It's only beta class."

" _Only_ ," Agylla scoffed. "You know about the weave as well as I do, General. Greater the amount of control, the less competent the subjects."

"And the lower the amount of control, the less loyal the subjects."

"Some say that loyalty can be cultivated." Agylla turned away from the tactical display. "Some say that you're going beyond the reaches of your authority. That you're using bioweave technology indiscriminately."

'Some,' Vykar reflected. How nice of Agylla to be general in her assertion that 'some' were concerned with what he was doing. How nice of her to assert that 'some' people wanted him removed, without naming names, or even insinuating that she was among them. It was no wonder that she'd reached the position she had.

"Arkadia," Agylla said. "That's an old Terran word isn't it?"

"Peace, prosperity, same with Halcyon," Vykar said. "My sleeper agents informed me."

"And here the Imperium is, disrupting it."

"Bringing it. One week from now, the bioweave will be activated on Arkadia, and every citizen will know what peace and prosperity really is. And the Imperium will have gained its 933rd member."

Agylla remained silent for a moment. So did Vykar. So did the bridge, for that matter. Usually he would have liked that. Right now though, he'd have loved to hear the sound of kinetic warheads firing, or laser systems heating up. But now, only silence. Silence, silence, and more silence. He wanted to scream, but against silence, that will do no good.

"Fine," Agylla said. "I'll pass on the good news to the Faculty. I'm sure that by the time I reach Earth, they'll have heard tales of your capture of Prisoner Zero and his rogues."

Vykar scowled. 'Rogue.' How insipid. "I look forward to making my report."

"Fine." Agylla smiled faintly. "I'll look forward to reading it."

And so she left, gesturing to her own troopers, who escorted her off the bridge. For a moment, Vykar toyed with assigning Kai to ghost her, to observe any unauthorized transmissions. Real-time communication across space was possible, Agylla didn't have to come here, and he knew well enough why she had – intimidation. A reminder that he wasn't all powerful, that not all the Faculty were happy with giving him carte blanche on the fringes of Imperium space. It wouldn't be out of the question for her to bring along the means to use such technology without his knowing. He began to activate his comm system…

 _No._

But declined. Agylla wanted him gone, he could see that. He wasn't going to give her an excuse to add more fuel to the fire that she'd stir up on Earth. Besides, he wasn't without his own friends. Agylla could try to see him gone. He could make sure she disappeared entirely with the proper care and effort. It would be 'project no. 2' on his 'to do' list.

Zero remained number one though. And he'd done so much longer than he cared for.

"Where are you?" he whispered, looking out into the void of space. "Where in hell are you?"

Space, like the bridge, remained silent.

And it was deafening.


End file.
